Corset-clasp.



M. rB'. GARDNER. ooBsET CLASP. APPLICATION I ILEI! DBO. 27. 190'9.

Patented Feb. 2 1, 1911.

2 SHEETS-snm 1.

rus NaRRIs PTER ca., wAsHmaroN,-n. c.

M. B. GARDNER. CORSET CLASP. .APPLIOATION FILED '11110.27, 1909.

"Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-QHEET 2.

.THE "alims Em-Rs ca.. wlzsmuarolv, n. c.

FFCE.

MARSHALL B. GARDNER, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONALCORSET COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

CORSET-CLASP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL B. GARD- NER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inV Corset-Clasps; and I, MARSHALL B. GARDNER, do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates to improvements in corset clasps or closures forfastening together the two halves of a corset at the front thereofwithout the employment of the usual metallic studs in order to produce aflat fitting effect and to avoid the objectionable projections at thefront of the corset due to the presence of such studs.

A corset constructed in accordance with my invention is provided at thefront margin of one side of the body with a plurality of hooks or likefastening devices which are designed to hook over and engage astifiening stay fixed to the front margin of the other side of the body.

The invention relates to improvements in the hook engaged stay and isparticularly applicable for use in the corset clasp described in anlapplication filed by me on June 1st, 1909, Serial No. 499,311. In theconstruction described in said application the hook engaged stay iscontained in a pocket, the front wall of which is provided withlongitudinally spaced openings opposite the hooks, so that said hooksmay directly engage the stay. In such engagement the end of the hookengages between the rear face of the stay and the rear wall of thepocket. In this construction it is dificult to catch the hooks on thestay for the reason that no definitely formed openings are presentbetween the rear wall of the pocket and the rear face of the stay sothat it is ditlicult to catch the hooks on said stay.

One object of my invention is to provide a. stay having permanentopenings or slots to receive the ends of the hooks.

Another objection to my prior construction is that when the corset isfastened, the ends of the hooks by engaging under Vthe hook engagedstay, come into direct contact with they flexible fabric of which thestay Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 27, 1909.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911. serial No. 534,925.

containing pocket is made, and cause projections to form in that wall ofthe pocket which comes next to the body. Such projections areobjectionable and uncomfortable, and are apt to chafe or irritate thebody. The ends of the hooks also tend to wear the material of which thepocket is made.

Another object of my invention is to overcome these objectionablefeatures.

In the drawings :*F igure 1 is a front elevation, partially broken away,of a portion of the front of a corset provided with rmy improvement.Fig. 2 is a partial, transverse section, through Fig. 1 on the line 2--2thereof. Fig. 3 is a similar section of Fig. 1 on the line 3&3 thereof.Fig. 4c is a perspective view of my improved hook engaged stay. Fig. 5is a transverse section through said stay on the line 5-5 of Fig. et.Fig. 6 is a similar section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 7 is stillanother modification in perspective view of my invention. Fig. S is atransverse section through Fig. 7 onA the line S-S thereof. Fig. 9 is asimilar section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a perspective Viewof still another modification of the invention. l

As shown in Figs. 1 to G of the drawings, 20, 2l indicate the two `sidesof the corset. 22, 23 indicate marginal pockets formed at the meetingedges of the corset body, one of said pockets 23 being adapted tocontain the hook carrying stay 24, to which are secured a set of fiathooks 25, and the other pocket 22, the hook engaged stay 26. Themarginal pockets are preferably of the kind described in the applicationabove referred to, and the pocket 23 containing the hook engaged stayhas its outer wall cut away transversely of the length of the stay, toprovide longitudinally spaced openings to expose the stay forenga-gement by the hooks.

Referring now more particularly to my improved form of hook engaged stayand especially to that embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1to 6, inclusive, said stay comprises two flat strips of metal or othersuitable material, an outer member 26al of comparatively thick material,and an inner member 26b of thinner material. Said outer and innermembers are spaced apart by means of some light fabric, such as stripsof pasteboard, indicated at 26, which are cut away to leave openingsbetween the inner and out-er stay members, as indicated at 2G, withinwhich openings the ends of the hooks engage. The pasteboard strips aresecured to the thinner metallic strips 2Gb by means of thin bands of4metal 2GB located between the openings 26d, while the outer and innerstay members 2G, 261 are secured together by one band Qf preferablylocated near the middle ot their length. This permits a slightlongitudinal play between said stay members when curved to lit the body.It is apparent that by reason of this construction permanent openingsare formed for the reception of the hooks and when the hooks are inplace and in engagement with the outer, heavier stay member 26, theunderside of the end of the hook will lie above the thin strip of metalQ61 which will prevent it from coming in contact with the inner wall oithe pocket and `from wearing through said wall or causing said wall toproject in such a way as to chate the wearer of the corset. rlhc rearwall will, at all times, present a lat, smooth surface unaltccted by thepresence of the hooks.

Instead of locating the spacing or filler strips of pasteboard betweenthe two metallic strips as above described, the two stay members may bebrought into contact throughout their length, except at the places wherethe hook openings are to be provided, where the thinner metallic stripmay be bent away from the thicker metallic strip, (see Fig. 7) to formsuch openings. Such a modification of the invention is shown in Figs. 7to 9. In this case 27?? indi- Cates the heavy stay member, 27", thelighter stay member, and 27, the hook openings formed by bending thethin stay member away from the stay member 27a. 27 indicates the fillerstrips which occupy the spaces intermediate the hook openings and thusmake the thickness of the stay, as a whole, uniform throughout itslength. I-Iere again the ller strips are attached to the stay member 27bby means of thin bands ot' met-al 27e, while a metallic band 27f engagesall of the parts to hold them together at a point preferably near themiddle.

In Fig. l() is shown a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 7in which the loops forming the hook openings are made in the heavierstay member 28a in which case the filler strips 28C are secured to saidstay member 28a, the construction being otherwise the same.

It will be noted that in all the modifications above described, there iswhat may be called a hook-'engaged member upon which the hook catchesand a guard member spaced apart from said hook engaged member, to form apermanent, definitelyy formed slot or opening to receive the end of thehook.

lVhile I have described herein certain em bodiments of my invention, itis to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to them except aspointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. A stayTV for corsets adapted :tor enoagementby tlat hooks extending transversy of the stay, comprising ahook-engaged mem ber and a guard member adapted to underlie the hookend, said hook-engaged member and said guard member being separated byslots or openings transverse of the stay at longitudinally spaced pointsopposite said hooks, and filler members att-ached to one of said staymembers to till the spaces intermedia-te said hoolr openings.

2. A stay for corsets adapted for engage'- ment by flat hooks extendingvtransversely of the stay comprising a Vhook-engaged member extending thefull length of the stay, a guard member spaced apart from saidhook-engaged member and also extending the length of the stay, fillermembers secured to one of said stay members, said filler members beingcut away at points opposite said hooks to leave slots or openingsbetween said hook-engaged member and said guard member at longitudinallyspaced points opposite said hooks, and mea-ns for` securing said memberstogether.

3. A stay for corsets adapted for engagement by flat hooks extendingtransversely of the stay, comprising a hook-err gaged member extendingthe full length of the stay, a guard member extending the full lengthot' the stay, said two members being spaced apart, iller members locatedbetween said hook engaged member and said guard member, said fillermembers beingcut away to leave slots or openings transverse of the stayat longitudinally spaced points'opposite said hooks, bands adapted tosecure said filler members to one of said stays intermediate saidopenings, and means'located near the middle of the stay adapted tosecure said hook engaged member and said guard member together.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as K MARSHALL B. GARDNER.

Witnesses S. I. Mor'r, E. S. PARMETER.

